Tang Yuyan arrived with a huge group of Bureau 101 agents tagging behind her. All Xia Lei had left for them to do was to clean away the bloodied corpses. Before their arrival, Xia Lei had removed all traces of his disguise in order not to raise suspicion.
Studying two battered corpses that were brought to their doom by the XL2500 sniper rifle, Tang Yuyan furrowed her brows. “Was there a need to do this?”
Xia Lei shrugged. “What were you expecting me to do? To go talk to them like civilized adults and convince them to release the hostage?”
“You know I wasn’t referring to that. Was there really a need to fire so many shots?” asked Tang Yuyan, all while studying Xia Lei with suspicious eyes. No one could ever trick her.
“I was mad so I fired a few shots more than needed. Got a problem with that?” Xia Lei admitted.
“No, I got nothing against it.” Tang Yuyan did not bring it up again, making a move to switch the conversation topic. “Who do you think these people are?”
Xia Lei turned to gaze at the unconscious commander. “They’re really well-equipped. Their gear is on par with that of the Delta Special Forces. Not to mention, their battle capabilities were excellent too. I think they might be guerilla members of America’s best Delta Special Force. However, I can assure you that you won’t find anything on them that could possibly serve as identification.”
Even if she found any, America would never admit to it.
“Have you managed to capture the spy?”
“I caught the underling. The real spy is still lurking around,” said Xia Lei.
“There are two of them?” Tang Yuyan gasped. “Are you sure about this?”
Xia Lei nodded. “I’m convinced.”
“Who is it? I’ll go capture them right away!”
Xia Lei replied, “Didn’t you agree to give me two days to capture the spy? I still have another day left. You should come only after tomorrow.”
“This is not something for you to decide.”
There was a hint of a smirk at the corner of Xia Lei’s lips. “That’s what Fan Fan had said. If I’m not the one to decide, I’m sure she’s plenty worthy to give a decision.”
“Do not use that woman against me!” Tang Yuyan was beginning to lose her cool.
Xia Lei sighed. “Yuyan, just bring these people away for now. Interrogate them and you might be able to get ahold of some valuable information. Thunder Horse Military Factory is mine and I get the final say. I need to capture him myself, there are some things that I need an answer to.”
“What do you mean?” Tang Yuyan stared at him intently.
“You’ll find out soon but not now.” Xia Lei turned around and approached the unconscious Fan Yiming.
“Wait!” Tang Yuyan screamed. “You…”
Xia Lei spared her a glance. “Is there anything else?”
“Are you doing this because you hate me?”
“Why would you take it that way?” questioned Xia Lei.
“Because that’s what this whole thing feels like!” Tang Yuyan was visibly agitated. “I’m telling you, you’ve got no right to hate me but I’ve got all the reasons to resent you!”
Xia Lei threw his hands defeatedly. “Then do as you wish, I’m heading back now. I’ll give you a call after everything is taken care of.”
“You…” Tang Yuyan wanted to say something else but all the words got stuck in her throat. She could not utter a single word.
She may have threatened Xia Lei strongly but she was clear that she couldn’t find anything in her to resent him. Truthfully, she had no right to bear any hatred towards him. If it wasn’t for Xia Lei, she would’ve been dead on top of the snow mountain in Dawang. Their so-called ‘engagement’ had only taken place due to the Tang family’s pressure and lots of unlawful acts. If it weren’t for those happenings, Xia Lei wouldn’t even be seated with her to talk about marriage.
There was so much that she owed to Xia Lei. How could she hate him?
Xia Lei picked up the unconscious Fan Yiming and began to walk towards a pickup truck.
“Xia Lei! You bastard!” Tang Yuyan roared from behind him.
Xia Lei pretended to not hear it, placing Fan Yiming carefully onto the passenger seat. He hopped into the truck and ignited its engine to begin their journey back to the Thunder Horse headquarters.
She could call him a bastard for all he cared. It was none of his concern.
He had his reasons to urge Tang Yuyan to stick to their prior agreement. His reasoning had nothing to do with the woman’s role as the current leader of Bureau 101. Xia Lei just couldn’t have Tang Yuyan barge into his company and conduct a wide span investigation among his employees. That was bound to bring some chaos to the Thunder Horse Organization. Other than that, he needed to capture the spy with his own hands and force an answer regarding Long Bing’s mission in Japan! If that was the case, Xia Lei could reach Tang Yuyan swiftly and have her bring the spy away. If not, that would be a strong indication that someone else had leaked details about Long Bing’s mission instead!
To try to harm his wife was equal to killing his child. This was something Xia Lei must confirm personally.
As the truck had reached Bailu Town, Fan Yiming suddenly stirred from his blackout. He clambered and straightened himself. And then the old man screeched, “AHHH!”
“Quit shouting, Grandpa.” Xia Lei slammed on the brakes in shock.
Recognizing Xia Lei’s voice, Fan Yiming blinked his eyes and noticed that Xia Lei was indeed in his proximity. The realization calmed Fan Yiming greatly. “W...where are we?”
“We’re in Bailu Town. You see that lady over there operating that pancake stall? She’s the image of Bailu Town.” Xia Lei comforted the older man with a smile.
“You damned bastard, I’m not in the mood to joke around!” Fan Yiming studied his surroundings. “I remember seeing a man with a gun beside my car door, then his entire skull was blasted away. Was all of that real?”
Xia Lei answered, “Yeah, it happened. You almost died. I killed all of them off and saved you.”
“What about my things?” Fan Yiming gushed nervously, “You gave me a password-locked box. Where is that box now? Tell me!”
Xia Lei sighed, “That box was blasted into pieces. I’ll have to make another one.”
“Make another one?”
“Yeah, an exact copy. My mind is not a computer, how could I possibly remember so many things. What I gave you were all data and documents. Now that they’re all destroyed, how can I afford not to recreate them again?” Xia Lei sighed. “Jeez, I can’t believe all my hard work had gone to waste.”
“This…” Fan Yiming wanted to comfort Xia Lei but as soon as he remembered that he had triggered the incident, the older man couldn’t say another word.
“Grandpa, I’m sorry but you’ve got to wait a little longer. I’ll get it done and send it to you soon, okay?” said Xia Lei.
“I guess this is the only way around this. But next time, you really need to make it a habit to keep a copy elsewhere. Do not repeat such an error again, okay?” reminded Fan Yiming.
“Yeah, I’ll remember that. Uh, about our wedding…”
“You can’t be serious about using this as an excuse to delay your wedding. Don’t you even think about it!” Fan Yiming threw a fit. “You made my granddaughter pregnant! You must marry her! As soon as possible!”
Xia Lei had initially wanted to discuss about betrothal gifts. But with Fan Yiming’s overreaction, the man just didn’t know how to continue the conversation. Xia Lei released the brakes and brought the vehicle forward, en route to their destination.
Driving into the entrance, Xia Lei noticed Lu Zheng, who was standing beside the guardhouse. The man rolled the window down and asked, “What is he doing now?”
Lu Sheng’s answer was salient. “He’s working on the masterplan in his lab.”
Xia Lei spared a sneaky glance to Fan Yiming behind him. Though no words were uttered, Lu Sheng had understood the cue immediately. Lu Sheng came over to the driver’s window and whispered into Xia Lei’s ear. “I did not notice anything weird. He seemed very normal and I feel that he’s innocent.”
“There’s no need to dwell on this further.” Xia Lei asked again, “How about her?”
“Her?” The span of Qing Caiyue’s pale chest was projected in Lu Sheng’s mind, causing him to huff a small laugh. “I locked her in my work station. I even made sure to have someone keep watch. There’s no way she can escape.”
“Alright, I’ll go check on her later.” Xia Lei proceeded to drive the car away.
Fan Yiming lounged comfortably on the backseat of the truck, expression clearly suspicious of Xia Lei’s exchange earlier. “Son, what were you whispering about with that muscle man? What kind of mischief are you up to now?”
Xia Lei replied, “Grandpa, how can you say that? Had it not cross your mind that all of this happened because of your impatience? I haven’t even asked for revenge and yet you’re already pointing fingers at me?”
“Uh… Let’s talk about betrothal gifts instead. My great-grandchild is about to arrive, I think you should buy a property in his name,” suggested Fan Yiming.
This old man was surprisingly caught up with modern wedding practises.
Just as the truck came to a stop, Fan Fan could be seen running out of the office block towards them. She looked positively anxious, but her stance was immediately relaxed as soon as she noticed that Fan Yiming and Xia Lei were alright. Suddenly, everything felt alright again.
“Hubby!” Fan Fan threw herself into Xia Lei’s arms. The burst of emotions made her voice tremble ever so slightly. “I’m so glad you’re back. I was so worried…”
“Ahem!” Fan Yiming cleared his throat.
It was only then that Fan Fan lifted her head from between Xia Lei’s arms to study her grandfather. “Grandpa, are you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m alright,” replied Fan Yiming.
“If you’re alright, why did you need to clear your throat at me?” questioned Fan Fan.
Those words had Fan Yiming choke on his own saliva. The older man pointed at her nose. “A...am I still your grandfather?”
“Of course.” Fan Fan answered confusedly.
Fan Yiming immediately accused, “Then why are you only hugging him? What do you mean by this? So you’ve got a husband and suddenly your grandpa is no longer important?”
Fan Fan released Xia Lei and went over to hold his wrinkly hand. “Jeez, you’re just like a child. Come, I’ll bring you somewhere to rest. Are you hurt anywhere?”
Fan Yiming only glared at Xia Lei. “Remember, buy my great-grandchild a property! And you better buy my granddaughter a car! Anyone marrying their daughter away would want a house and a car!”
Xia Lei was so taken aback that all he could do was stare.
“Grandpa! That’s enough! If you do this again, I’m going to ignore you forever!”
“Alright, alright. I’ll stop…”
The pair continued to bicker as they went into the office block.
At this moment, Lu Sheng took it as the right timing to approach Xia Lei. The latter then followed the muscular guard into his work station.
Watching the door were two security guards working for the Thunder Horse Organization. Noticing that Xia Lei and Lu Sheng were headed their way, both of them straightened their posture and unlocked the door.
Xia Lei entered the little room and immediately found Qing Caiyue, who was laid plainly on a bed.
Qing Caiyue’s hands and feet were restrained with tough rope and her chest was exposed. The woman’s eyes were shut and there seemed to be no response from her.
“That…” Lu Sheng turned a little sheepish. “I didn’t do that, she tore her blouse herself. I tried to cover her up but the front of her shirt was completely torn.”
Despite that, Xia Lei seemed to not have registered any of Lu Sheng’s explanations. Studying Qing Caiyue for a good five seconds, his expression immediately turned stone cold. He quickly strode over to the bed and touched Qing Caiyue’s neck…